Spring-held mattress foundation support structure



Jan. 7, 1964 J. A. cRoss 3,116,495

SPRING-HELD MATTRESS FOUNDATION SUPPORT STRUCTURE Filed July 25, 1962 32n-3| l3 IO FIG- 2 INVENTOR JEROME A- GROSS United States Patent3,116,495 SPRING-HELD MATTRESS FOUNDATION SUPPORT STRUCTURE Jerome A.Gross, 6304 S. Rosebury, Clayton, Mo. Filed July 23, 1962., Ser. No.211,622 4 Claims. (Cl. 207

The present invention relates to bedstead constructions of the typeemploying angle-like rails to support a box spring or other foundationfor a mattress.

Inasmuch as a precise fit between such mattress foundation and the railswhich support it is not to be anticipated, and since flexureof rails islikely to occur in use, there is a possibility that such a mattressfoundation may be dislodged sideward and fall between the rails. Toavoid this possibility, heavy cross-slats have sometimes been placedatop of the rails, to extend crosswise between them. Such slats areundesirable for many reasons, such as the possibility that they may bedislodged, and the fact that they occupy a substantial part of the depthof the rails, holding the foundation so high so as to sacrifice part ofthe safety which the vertically extending rail flanges would otherwiseprovide.

A principal purpose of the present invention is to provide a readilyattached spring-like clip which will fit closely atop of the horizontalflange of the rail and thus permit the supported foundation to fit welldown within the vertical leg of the rail.

Further purposes are to provide a support structure which will furnishrigid support inwardly of the rails, which may be attached to the railby a simple downward force, and will thereafter hold tenaciously to therail.

These, and other purposes which will be manifest from the specificationwhich follows, are accomplished in the present invention by afiixingspaced clips along each of such conventional beds rails, the clips beingformed of springy sheet metal such as steel, each having a horizontalportion which extends inward of the rail and is there provided with adownward reinforcing flange. Such flange has a detent inwardly of theinner edge of the horizontal rail flange. The clip includes a portion ofhairpin-like cross section bridging the vertical flange of the rail andterminating at its outer lower end in a detent which grasps the angularcorner of the rail.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a support clip embodying the presentinvention, in place on a bed rail shown in cross section. The dashedlines show its spread open position while being aflixed to the rail.

FIGURE 2 is a left end view of the structure shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a right end view of the structure shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a view in flat pattern of the spring clip of FIGURE 1. Thedashed lines are bend lines.

The angle-like rail generally designated is one of a pair ofconventional steel angles which extend between the head and the foot ofa bedstead. Each such rail has a horizontal flange 11 which extendsinwardly and terminates in a somewhat rounded inwardly presented edge12. The rail has a similar vertical flange 13 terminating in a somewhatrounded upwardly presented edge 14. The flanges 11, 13 meet at ajuncture having at its inner side a radius 15 and at its outer side aright angular corner 16.

In prior art use, wooden cross slats, not shown, are sometimes laid uponthe horizontal flanges 11 to bridge between the pair of rails 10; theseraise the mattress foundation substantially within the vertical flanges13 3,116,495 Patented Jan. 7, 1964 and take away from their principalfunction which is to avoid sideward dislodgement of such mattressfoundation.

The present invention requires only that small part of the height of thevertical flanges 13 as is occupied by a single thickness of sheet metal.Any fairly springy metal may be utilized; while the clip mentionedherein is referred to as being steel, other metals may be substituted.

The steel support clip, formed as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, includesa horizontal portion 21 which rests atop of the horizontal flange 11 ofthe rail 10, and extends from the rail radius 15 inwardly well beyondthe rail edge 12, where it is divided into two inwardly projecting parts22. In the embodiment shown, these parts 22 have adjacent downwardreinforcing flanges 23, as shown in FIGURE 4, separated by a cut-out 26.This construction permits the unflanged width atop of the flange 11 tobe relatively great, to minimize its bending deflectance.

Each reinforcing flange 23 has a side edge presented outwardly withrespect to the bedstead, including two principal side edge portions: adetent portion 26, which in the assembled view of FIGURE 1 abuts theedge of the horizontal inner flange, and has the shape of a cutout; anda camming edge 27 leading from the bottom of the flange upwardly andoutwardly to the detent portion 26.

FIGURE 4 shows the flat pattern of a sheet metal blank from which theclip 20 is formed. A tang-like portion 30 is an integral part of thehorizontal clip portion 21. After blanking, the tang-like portion 30 isformed into a portion of hairpin-like cross section gen erallydesignated 31 in the other figures. It is narrow, as compared to thehorizontal portion 21, which narrowness gives it easy deflectability.

Such hairpin-like portion 31 has an inner leg 32 whose bottom end fitsinto the radius 15 of the angle 10 and serves as a continuation of thestructure provided by the horizontal portion 21. The hairpin-likeportion 31 also includes an outer leg 33 which extends downward beyondthe right angular corner 16 of the rail 10, where it is provided with aninwardly bent end detent 34, preferably having a lip 35 to facilitatesliding onto the rail flange 13. When attached, the inwardly bent enddetent 34 grasps beneath the angular corner 16 as shown in FIGURE 1. Theupper ends of the legs 32, 33 are connected by a bridge portion 36 whichextends over the upper edge 14 of the vertical flange 13.

After the steel for the spring clip 20 has been cut to the form shown inFIGURE 4, the flanges 23 are bent along the bend lines a, b when thetank 30 is bent into the portion of hairpin-like cross section 31 asdescribed.

To aflix the clip 20 to the rail 10, the portion of hairpin-like crosssection 31 is pressed onto the vertical flange 13 of the rail 10; andthe camming edge 27 of the reinforcing flange 23 is then presseddownwardly against the inwardly presented rail edge 12. This causes thehairpinlike cross section 31 to spread laterally, as shown in the dashedlines of FIGURE 1. Continued downward force results in seating the railedge 12 within the detent cutout 26. When so seated, the clip 20 graspsthe rail 10 tenaciously, and is not readily dislodged by any forceencountered in normal use.

To illustrate the operation of the present invention, the extremecondition may be assumed: That the mattress foundation has shiftedinward to exert a concentrated downward force on the inward parts 22 ofthe clip 20. Such concentrated forces on said inward parts 22 would tendto cause rocking of the clip 20 about its edge 12. The grasp of theinward bending detent 34 against the angular corner 16 resists upwardmovement of the hairpin-like portion 31. The greater width of thehorizontal portion 21 gives it suflicient rigidity as to avoid bendingdeflection under such set of forces. Hence, even though the clip 20 ismade of sheet metal, its unique design gives to it a ruggedness whichwithstands such loads. Two or three of the clips 20 so aflixed on eachbed rail 10 thus gives secure support to a mattress foundation.

Variations in detail will occur to those familiar with the problems ofthe art. Accordingly, this invention is not to be construed narrowly,but rather as fully cextensive with the claims hereof.

I claim: 1. For use in bedstead construction and the like, a spring-heldmattress foundation support structure comprising an angle-like railhaving a horizontal flange terminating in an inwardly presented edge,and a vertical flange terminating in an upwardly presented edge, theflanges meeting at a juncture having at its inner side a radius and atits outer side a right angular corner, in combination with a supportclip formed of springy sheet metal and havmg a horizontal portionresting atop of the horizontal flange of the rail and extending from theradius of the rail inwardly beyond its inwardly presented edge, the partthereof inwardly of said edge having a downward reinforcing flange, theflange having an outwardly presented side including a detent portionabutting the inner edge of the horizontal flange, the support clipfurther having a portion of hairpinlike cross section by whosespringiness the detent portion is held abutting the inner edge of thehorizontal flange, said hairpin-like portion extending over the verticalflange of the rail and fitting adjacent to its outer and inner surfacesand including an inner leg whose bottom end is a continuation of thehorizontal clip portion,

an outer leg extending downward beyond the right angular corner of therail and having an inwardly bent end detent by which the angular corneris grasped,

and a connecting bridge portion between the legs extending over theupper edge of the vertical flange of the rail.

2. A spring-held mattress foundation support structure as defined inclaim 1, the detent portion of the reinforcing flange including acut-out engaging the inner edge of the horizontal rail.

3. A spring-held mattress foundation support structure as defined inclaim 1,

the outer side of the reinforcing flange having a camrning edge leadingupward and outward to the detent portion,

whereby a downward force on the horizontal portion spreads thehairpin-like portion laterally to seat the inner edge of the horizontalrail against the detent portion of the supporting flange. 4. Aspring-held mattress foundation support structure as defined in claim 1,

the horizontal portion of the clip which rests atop of the horizontalrail flange being of a greater width than the portion of hairpin-likecross section,

whereby to minimize the bending deflection of said horizontal portionand thereby utilize the grasp of the end detent against the angularcorner to avoid rocking about the inwardly presented edge of thehorizontal flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS699,392 Karr May 6, 1902 1,484,524 Naugle Feb. 19, 1924 2,438,085Woodings et al Mar. 16, 1948 2,452,645 Firsel Nov. 2, 1948 2,456,553Churchill Dec. 14, 1948 2,983,931 Nelson May 16, 1961

1. FOR USE IN BEDSTEAD CONSTRUCTION AND THE LIKE, A SPRING-HELD MATTRESSFOUNDATION SUPPORT STRUCTURE COMPRISING AN ANGLE-LIKE RAIL HAVING AHORIZONTAL FLANGE TERMINATING IN AN INWARDLY PRESENTED EDGE, AND AVERTICAL FLANGE TERMINATING IN AN UPWARDLY PRESENTED EDGE, THE FLANGESMEETING AT A JUNCTURE HAVING AT ITS INNER SIDE A RADIUS AND AT ITS OUTERSIDE A RIGHT ANGULAR CORNER, IN COMBINATION WITH A SUPPORT CLIP FORMEDOF SPRINGY SHEET METAL AND HAVING A HORIZONTAL PORTION RESTING ATOP OFTHE HORIZONTAL FLANGE OF THE RAIL AND EXTENDING FROM THE RADIUS OF THERAIL INWARDLY BEYOND ITS INWARDLY PRESENTED EDGE, THE PART THEREOFINWARDLY OF SAID EDGE HAVING A DOWNWARD REINFORCING FLANGE,